not so good places in center city Rittenhouse/Washington West? (Philadelphia: apartments, foreclosed)

[torrielle]

My husband and I are planning on moving into center city Philadelphia in April due to job relocation/experience more of the city life. We are looking into the neighborhoods of Washington Square/Rittenhouse square, budget - $1300.
I know that in general they are very nice neighborhoods(from reading all the posts here), but as I was browsing through Craig's list i saw places(1BR apartments) with addresses on Spruce St in both neghborhoods ranging from $800 to $1300 a month. I searched on google maps and the addresses are not that far away.
Why is there such a big difference? Is Spruce st towards an area that we should avoid and in general is there small pockets in Washington Square/Rittenhouse that we should try to stay away from?
Any help would be appreciated!!!Thanks.

[FindingZen]

It may be that the buildings themselves aren't in that great shape and the maintenance level - or lack thereof - is reflected in the rent.

Or it could be an ihomeowner who decided that renting a floor in their house at below market rates would still be profitable.

[torrielle]

So any place on Spruce should be pretty good then? Just making sure...we cant go to philadelphia often to look at apartments and picking the ones that really work for us is essential. Thank you.

[kidphilly]

Spruce is generally pretty good, honestly anything north of South St (to Chestnut) is pretty safe and depeneding on the numbered cross-street some areas south of South can be ok as well. Ideally though Pine to Walnut would be best (Spruce is right in the middle)

Likely the prices are a reflection of building quality, so those prices probably demonstrate some draw back to the physical building and probably not the physical location.

Good luck and hope enjoy Philly, you are moving at a perfect ime, Spring is great downtown

[bryson662001]

Spruce St is really very nice for it's whole lenth within Center City but it is a little further away from the shops, offices and public transportation. In Rittenhouse (west of Broad St) it is mostly big victorian mansions that have been broken up into walk up apartments. These would be cheaper than a doorman building on Chestnut, Walnut or even Locust.

[solibs]

Originally Posted by torrielle

Why is there such a big difference?

Because it's a teaser ad. You say, "wow, that's cheap. let's call."
Then they say "oh, sorry, that one is already rented but we have this other apartment at 48th & Walnut that you might like."

And if there is a real apartment on Spruce St. for that cheap it's either a really lovely closet or so bad you wouldn't want to live there. When I was looking at apartments on Pine St. in 2003 there was nothing big enough for two people for less than $1000.

[torrielle]

Thanks for the gfeedback.we have se a min price of 1100 to take care of the "teasers" and the "closets" maybe the recession also has lowered the prices to level of several years back...or at least I am hoping

[solibs]

Originally Posted by torrielle

Thanks for the gfeedback.we have se a min price of 1100 to take care of the "teasers" and the "closets" maybe the recession also has lowered the prices to level of several years back...or at least I am hoping

The min. price is a good idea. you'll probably still come across deceptive ads. Especially looking around Rittenhouse.

The housing slump means fewer people are buying their first house and more homeowners are becoming renters as they get foreclosed on. That means there are more renters to compete with. The tight credit market is making it harder for developers to bring new apartments online.

Rents continue to rise in Philadelphia and are otherwise unaffected in most cities. The only thing that may have slowed the rise of rents around Rittenhouse is the rapid expansion of "Center City" into the surrounding neighborhoods.

[asburypk]

Originally Posted by torrielle

My husband and I are planning on moving into center city Philadelphia in April due to job relocation/experience more of the city life. We are looking into the neighborhoods of Washington Square/Rittenhouse square, budget - $1300.
I know that in general they are very nice neighborhoods(from reading all the posts here), but as I was browsing through Craig's list i saw places(1BR apartments) with addresses on Spruce St in both neghborhoods ranging from $800 to $1300 a month. I searched on google maps and the addresses are not that far away.
Why is there such a big difference? Is Spruce st towards an area that we should avoid and in general is there small pockets in Washington Square/Rittenhouse that we should try to stay away from?
Any help would be appreciated!!!Thanks.

Do not rent on Spruce St. between 9th and Broad St. The apartments are mainly owned by slumlords (William Penn, Philadelphia Management, Green St., Michael Singer). The apartments may be OK but the management is terrible and the maintenance work never gets done.

If you can afford $1300, look west of Broad St. in the Rittenhouse area.

[john_starks]

seriously, compared to the rest of the city

Rittenhouse/Wash West is Beverly Hills